The christening of infants is not all that different from a birthday party. Invitations are sent out, everyone dresses up, lots of photos are taken with loved ones. Then comes a celebratory gathering involving food and festivity, which has usually taken months to plan. There may even be a special cake. All these things can become just as, or even more important than the service itself. In fact, nowadays some have dispensed with the Christian side of things altogether, and hire a civil celebrant to conduct a ‘naming ceremony’ instead. Perhaps that’s more honest in the long run, because many parents who get their children christened appear not to be very serious about faith at all.

All of this is a far cry from the original Christian baptism. The Bible teaches us that there is profound spiritual symbolism and witness associated with genuine baptism. It is a powerful outward sign of identification with Christ. As He died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life again, so those who trust in Him have died to the old self which rejected God’s rule, and have been raised to wonderful new life by His grace (Romans 6:3-11). Baptism by immersion in water is a particularly powerful reminder of this – the lowering and raising up of the person points to Christ’s death and resurrection. There is no Biblical account of a baby being baptised; Christian baptism in the New Testament involved people who were old enough to truly repent and believe in the Lord Jesus (e.g. Acts 2:38-41; 10:43-48; 16:31-34). In this week’s reading from Acts 8:26-40, we hear about one such person. An Ethiopian eunuch decided to trust in Christ, and got baptised as soon as he found some water. No relatives, no invitations, no special gown, and no cake! Just a man who sincerely believed the good news of Jesus.

So whether we have a party or not, let’s not forget the two key ingredients in the Biblical recipe for baptism: faith in Christ, and a bit of water.